Edmonton Notes for 6/8/2014

Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:

Headlines

• The world’s first industrial-scale facility to produce biofuels from municipal solid waste opened in Edmonton this week. Own and operated by Enerkem, the facility will enable Edmonton to increase its diversion rate of waste from landfill from 60% to 90% by 2016. The news got Edmonton onto the front page of Reddit this week!
• The Wildrose Party announced its transit platform this week and pledged $1.2 billion over four years for LRT expansion in Edmonton and Calgary. That may sound like a lot, and it’s a step in the right direction, but in the world of LRT, “at least $50 million a year more…than they are in line to receive from the PC government” isn’t really that much.
• Have you seen the Stealth buses driving around the city? ETS is testing two new electric buses, known as ETS Stealth buses, for four months as part of a pilot project to determine the suitability of the buses. The two buses are free to board, as long as you complete a survey.
• Mayor Don Iveson and Edmonton Oilers Captain Andrew Ference teamed up once again (seriously there’s a bromance developing there) on Wednesday to declare Clean Air Day in Edmonton.
• Here’s a look at the return of hustle and bustle to Edmonton’s downtown – before shovels even hit the ground for the new arena.
• From Enterprise Edmonton: The Data-Driven Case for Infill Policy in Edmonton.
• Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s Charles Labatiuk Awards for Environment Excellence.
• Could Telus Field be altered or demolished to make way for condos? It’s one of the many options being considered for the West Rossdale redevelopment project. The Prospects play there now, but it’s generally empty. But if the City gave the Edmonton Capitals a five year lease, they’d resume playing, say the Oilers.
• The Province says it has expanded service delivery of Alberta Supports in Edmonton, with another four locations set to open in our city next year.
• Edmontonians can now call 211 to access information about seniors’ programs and services. This is basically an addition to the existing 211 Edmonton service, geared toward seniors, a growing part of our population.
• Anticipating criticism over plans for the Blatchford development, Mayor Iveson asks, “what kind of city do we really want to build?”
• Transcend Coffee is returning to downtown at the Mercer, but now also at Mother’s Market (which is slated to open June 20).
• Speaking of great businesses coming downtown – Earth’s General Store announced this week that they are moving into the former Pangaea Market space on 104 Street!
• Don Braid in Calgary: “The early race to be premier boils down to this: They’d do the same stuff, but without airplanes.”
• If you haven’t already done so, fill out the EFCL survey on civic engagement here. It supports the development of EFCL’s new five year strategic plan.
• Looking to keep up-to-date with the City’s recreation centres? Now you can, on Facebook.
• Want more bicycle infrastructure in Edmonton? Too bad, we’re just going to talk about it for another two years. At least we still have Edmonton Bike Polo.
• If you tried to get Folk Fest tickets but were disappointed by the website crash, you may be out of luck – the unsold tickets were given to Ticketmaster for resale. (They never go down, that’s their value proposition.)
• I came across this abandoned but painted bicycle the other night – turns out it is part of a public art project!

Another amazing photo of Edmonton by Jeff Wallace

Upcoming Events

• Indulgence takes place on Monday night at the Delta Edmonton South.
• The Pride Festival and Nextfest both continue all week at various locations.
• Capital Ideas Edmonton is hosting a special event on Wednesday morning at the Edmonton International Airport on building an international business from Edmonton.
• Edmonton Opera’s annual golf classic takes place on Thursday at the Glendale Golf & Country Club.
• It’s that time of year again: Latitude 53’s popular patio series kicks off this Thursday!
• Join us on Friday evening at McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona for our second What the Truck?! event of the season! You can see the list of participating trucks here.
• Also Friday, it’s the fifth Meet the Media tweetup!
• The Eskimos will play their first pre-season game at home against the BC Lions on Friday evening.
• TEDxEdmonton takes place on Saturday at the Royal Alberta Museum.
• On Saturday evening, check out Hawkers Market at the Mercer Warehouse!
• Also happening on the father’s day weekend is Porkapalooza, at Hawrelak Park.
• For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.

Pecha Kucha Night 19 took place on Thursday, June 5. Here’s a recap!